


ASP: The Hogwarts Paladins

by Binsfeld



Series: The Mongoose [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation, Multi, the cursed child never happened ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24130492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Binsfeld/pseuds/Binsfeld
Summary: Al has finally acknowledged his fuzzy confusing feelings for Vincent, his brother's best friend. Now he just has to figure out how to clue Vincent in. As if that wasn't stressful enough, Lily is butting heads with James over Quidditch, Scorpius has an odd new friendship that bothers Al in a way he can't explain, and sightings of Dementors are still on the rise. It's a good thing James has agreed to teach him the Patronus Charm this year. Though with all the whispers of Dementors and strange cultish activity, it seems many students have also decided to take things into their own hands and take a stand...
Relationships: Albus Severus Potter/Original Male Character(s), Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Series: The Mongoose [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/313169
Comments: 29
Kudos: 53





	1. Growing Pains

When Lily burst into Al's bedroom already complaining loudly about her brother, Al shot off the bed as if he'd been caught doing something wrong.

Which was ridiculous, he chided himself, hating how warm his face already felt. He and Vincent were only talking, and jumping like someone caught with their hand in the cookie jar only made him _look_ guilty.

Luckily, Lily seemed oblivious. She interrupted her own rant to shoot Vincent an impatient hello, then continued stridently, “James is going to get Lucy into loads of trouble on her _first day,_ filling her head with those stupid stories about a pool on the Astronomy Tower and locked rooms filled with candy just waiting for some brave first-years to find them. You know how she is, Al! She'll believe almost anything. I love her, but she hasn't got Molly's brains. James won't listen to me, you need to tell him to cut it out.” She focused on Vincent suddenly as if just truly noting his presence. “Or you can, Vincent. He'll actually listen to _you_.”

Vincent chuckled from where he was propped up on his elbows, lounging across Al's bed as if he belonged there. He'd been coming over to the Potter residence several times throughout the summer, and it was not unusual for him and Al to hole up somewhere and chat. Usually it was about Patronuses, classes, or, more recently, complaining about how gross James and his girlfriend Emma were. After going a year where Vincent spent much more time with James, Al guarded these friendly but private chats almost jealously. It felt good to have Vincent as a confidant again, and he was flattered that a boy both older and more popular than himself treated him with respect.

But his recent internal revelation of his growing and sometimes confusing feelings for his brother's best friend made any interruption of their hang-outs both embarrassing and infuriating. How was he supposed to come to terms with how he felt-- or maybe even ease similar feelings out of his laid-back friend –if someone was bursting in all the time?

“James doesn't listen to me,” Vincent said. He sat up, propping his elbows on his knees and regarding Lily's furious countenance with amusement. “If he did, he'd have gotten into a lot less trouble the last few years. And he wouldn't be dating that twit Emma.”

“Emma's not so bad,” Lily countered, then grimaced. “At least, she's okay when she's not around James. Those two are so _gross_. I liked it better when it was just you coming over to see James. Now it's just him and Emma ducking out all the time, all moon-eyed and kissy-kissy. _Blech_.” She shuddered, missing the shadow that crossed Vincent's face. “Anyway, I mean it. Someone needs to talk to James about Lucy. If she gets detention her first day for looking for a non-existent swimming pool, I'm telling Uncle Percy it was all James's fault.” She spun on her heel and flounced out.

There was a long, pregnant pause. “You,” Vincent finally declared, “have way too many cousins. I didn't even know Molly _had_ a sister.”

Al laughed awkwardly. “This is the last one.” Vincent himself was an only child and had a small external family. He found the mass of Potter/Weasley cousins, siblings, and uncles to be both astonishing and a source of never-ending entertainment.

Vincent's eye strayed towards the window, taking note of the sun's low position in the sky. “I should get going.” He sprang off the bed, patting himself down to make sure he hadn't dropped his wand anywhere. Students weren't allowed to use magic outside of school, but most young witches and wizards carried theirs around anyway in such uncertain times. Rumored Dementor sightings around the country-- and one floating through the halls of Hogwarts itself –had everyone tense, wondering if worse things were to come. “Oh, did I tell you? I finally talked to James about your Patronus training. He's going to be helping me, too.”

Al was pleased at the news. He'd been looking forward to learning the Patronus Charm all summer, and having Vincent learning with him would make it more fun. James tended to be an impatient teacher, and Vincent's presence would hopefully curb his temper. “Just don't talk about it in front of Lily,” he cautioned. “She's still sulking about the fact that Dad won't let her learn until her third year.”

“Got it.” Vincent reached out to ruffle his hair fondly, but paused when Al automatically ducked out of the gesture. “Sorry,” he said with a little embarrassed laugh. “I guess you're not really a little kid anymore.”

Al flushed, but didn't answer, unsure what to say. They were only a year apart, and it stung that Vincent still saw him simply as James's little brother. He was fourteen now, not some clueless first-year. And now more than ever he didn't want Vincent looking at him like a kid.

A moment later he wondered if Vincent's own thoughts were leaning the same way. He'd gone still and was looking at Al a little oddly, as if just properly looking at him for the first time all summer. “You've grown,” he said.

Al straightened a little proudly. James was not yet done growing, but Al had hit a growth spurt himself and was only a shade shorter than his brother now. Even Vincent, who'd always seemed so tall to him, had only to tilt his eyes down to look at him, rather than angling his whole head or torso as had been his habit the last two years.

Vincent coughed, looking a little uncomfortable. “Well.. I need to go. My folks will give me an earful if I'm late for dinner. I'll see you this weekend in Diagon Alley, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Maybe we can talk James out of landing your cousin in detention her first day.” Flashing his familiar infectious grin, Vincent gave a little wave and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Al sat down heavily on his bed, fingers plucking nervously at his bedspread. Odd to think that last year he'd been shocked at the fact that his brother was suddenly interested in dating, only to face his own fourth year with an anxious desire to possibly do the same. Around and around in his head spun the same half-frightened questions that had plagued him all summer. Did he have the guts to even admit to Vincent how he felt? Would Vincent be even remotely interested, or would he humiliate them both and turn him down? Should he maybe instead wait a year to make sure this wasn't some childish infatuation, or did he want to risk watching Vincent get snapped up by someone his own age? Merlin knew the boy had certainly earned his share of sideways looks from plenty of girls last year. And that was another thing. What if Vincent _did_ want to start dating-- but only girls? This was normally something he would've swallowed his pride and gone to his big brother about, but James would probably not be happy about Al having fuzzy feelings about his best friend.

Al shook his head sharply, trying to dislodge the thought. He'd been stressing about the same things all summer. It was pointless. Vincent might have finally stopped looking at him as a kid, at least. That had to count for something. And with James so wrapped up in Emma, he was unlikely to steal so much of Vincent's time as he usually did.

And besides, he reminded himself grimly, there were more important things to be nervous about. His third year had not been an uneventful one, and sightings of Dementors in random villages and streets had only risen over the summer. And though Richmond, the boy who'd inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on him, had been sent to Azkaban for a year, his buddy Dumford would be at school. And so would the mysterious leader of those who had unleashed the Dementor in Hogwarts. And Lily, who seemed to only care about Quidditch tryouts, was still a Potter in Slytherin. With her habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong, she was sure to stumble into trouble again. Though at least she had the invisibility cloak to help.

Not for the first time this summer, Al's mind turned to another Slytherin. Scorpius Malfoy, his sometimes-ally in Potions. Scorpius had looked after Lily, in his own way, and he'd been there when the Dementor got loose. After Al had helped him by the lake at the end of the year, Scorpius had almost seemed more... well, if not friendly, definitely less caustic. And whatever was going on with the Purebloods and prior Death Eater families, it was affecting the Malfoys. Al's own father had seemed to think Slytherin could be just as dangerous to Scorpius as Lily if things got any worse.

Al sighed heavily, feeling like a great weight was pressing down on him. There was so much to feel worried about. And though she'd acted normal most of the summer, Al knew the previous year had affected Lily as well. She'd had nightmares for a week at the beginning of the summer, and whenever she read about any Dementor sightings in the paper, she got very quiet and jumpy for hours. Al hadn't forgotten his parents' dire warnings after the mess by the lake. He couldn't go jumping feet first into dangerous situations without considering the consequences. Lily was in a precarious enough situation; he had no plans on making her a target with his own snooping. Hopefully the scares from last year would have taught Lily, as well, to keep her nose clean.

Though somehow he doubted it.

~*~

Al's family dropped by Diagon Alley that weekend, and as promised Vincent was waiting for him. James greeted his friend absently, made some glib excuse to his parents, and disappeared into the crowd.

“Off to find Emma,” Vincent snorted, looking irritated. “Honestly, I didn't expect their relationship to last the summer. I figured it was a fling.”

“Never mind them,” Al said firmly. “C'mon, let's get your owl some treats. I wanted to see about getting a little bed for Trinity. I kicked her in my sleep enough last near that she refuses to sleep in my bed, and I don't want her just lying on the hard floor.”

“Meet us at Madam Malkin's in half an hour,” Ginny called after him. “You need new robes!”

Al waved over his shoulder in acknowledgment. Ginny had let out the hem last year, but both James and Al had already outgrown those.

“You should see my book list,” Vincent grumbled as they threaded their way through the bustling shoppers. “I'm not looking forward to my O.W.L.s at all. Remember what Fred was like last year? I bet I'm gonna waste half the term studying all day. At least Roxie and James are in the same boat.”

Al nodded, distracted. He'd caught a glimpse of pale hair by a broom shop and was puzzled. A lot of students bought brooms and Quidditch supplies there, but if that was Scorpius, he couldn't understand why the boy would be anywhere near it. He had a secret fear of heights that made him completely uninterested in the sport. An older witch shuffled past, clearing his line of sight. It _was_ Scorpius. His curiosity piqued, he signaled for Vincent to wait and made his way over.

“Scorpius!”

The boy turned, and it was gratifying to see that his expression didn't shift into one of impatience as it used to when he saw Al. Instead he only gave a brief nod of greeting. Al stopped a foot or two away, dithering. He was so used to being rebuffed by the other boy, he found himself unsure of what to say. Usually Scorpius told him to get lost at this point.

Al hadn't been the only one to spring up like a weed over the summer. Though still thin, with a sharply angled face, Scorpius was finally starting to fill out just a little. His white-blond hair was longer than before, and he kept having to brush it out of his eyes. He was also, Al noted with a tiny jolt of surprise and irritation, just a tiny bit taller than Al now.

“Shopping for a broom?” Al teased, flicking his glance towards the shop window, where a group of students had their noses pressed to the glass.

“She is,” Scorpius said tonelessly, pointing. Al turned, confused. Scorpius was pointing at a girl who was only vaguely familiar. Small, slender, with large glasses and a thick dark braid, her face was nearly as implacable as Scorpius's own as she turned slightly to see who Scorpius was speaking to.

Teresa Hernandez.

Al blinked, at a lost for words. Teresa was a Slytherin, and though Al had shared Defense Against the Dark Arts with her, he barely knew her. He couldn't remember actually hearing her say a single word to either himself or Scorpius. The rumors about her mother, supposedly a spy for the Death Eaters during the war, had made Al and his friends wary of her, but she'd always been quiet and attentive in class, and had not taken part in any of the jinxing during the Fifth House debacle in his first year. She seemed solely focused on doing well in school, and had not made any attempt to make any friends or enemies. She had never bothered Lily, even when half of Slytherin had given his sister a hard time for being the first Potter in their House. And, he remembered with an internal wince, she was an amazing flyer. As the Slytherin Seeker, she'd flown circles around him during Al's second year. That explained what she was doing at a broom shop, but not why Scorpius seemed to be with her.

“We live in the same neighborhood,” Scorpius explained, correctly interpreting Al's confused look. “With all the... tension lately, she's been the only other person my age willing to talk to me all summer.”

As friendships went, it was odd, but perhaps understandable. They were both studious and quiet, and if she was perfectly willing to be cordial to Scorpius when a lot of other Slytherins weren't, Al was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She might not be the friendliest person, but he preferred her disinterest to most Slytherins' open hostility. He managed a quick smile for her, and she nodded calmly back before returning her attention to the brooms in the window. _Two non-hostile Slytherin encounters in one day_ , he thought a little dazedly. Hopefully this was a sign of a smooth fourth year.

“Al.” Vincent had come up behind him and was eyeing both Scorpius and Teresa with a trace of suspicion. None of Al's friends had ever really understood his attempts to get along with Draco Malfoy's son. “C'mon, let's go.”

Al waved goodbye and followed Vincent back onto the main thoroughfare.

“Looks like you've got some competition in the 'I want to be Scorpius's new best friend' contest,” Vincent teased.

Al rolled his eyes. “Good. Maybe having more people try to pry him out of his shell will make him less of a git this year.” Despite his nonchalance, he felt a very brief and confusing sting of irritation. He shrugged the feeling off. Scorpius deserved to have other people try to befriend him, and it was stupid to think of their bizarre relationship as some weird exclusive thing.

Vincent shook his head, but kept his opinion of Scorpius to himself. They stopped by the Emporium to stock up on treats and toys for their pets, then squeezed into the over-crowded bookstore to collect their textbooks.

They were debating whether they had enough time to stop by Sugarplum's Sweet Shop before Al had to meet his family for robe fitting, when Lily came running up to them, puffing and red-faced.

Al glanced around with a frown, wondering where Molly and Lucy were. “Aren't you supposed to--”

But Lily cut him off. “You'll never guess who I just saw over by Knockturn Alley.” She paused for a few moments to get her breath back, glancing around nervously. Then she leaned in, her voice a frightened hiss. “Evaine. Carrying loads of schoolbooks. _She's coming back this year_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I forgot Molly exists. I mentioned her ONCE in an aside in year 3 ghajkfds Hence her popping up more now, esp w/ it being her OWL year and Lucy starting school. I guess I can get away with it since Al's friendships started fluctuating in 3rd year pffft.  
> Also, despite my reservations, I was so impatient to get to Al and his Feelings that I sat down and slammed out almost two chapters in two days so uhhh chapter 2 coming soon, SURPRISE!


	2. Something Like Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhfjdksa you're all so sweet i was rolling around like a cat in catnip after those reviews on ch 1 <3 <3 <3

Al spent the whole train ride to Hogwarts so tense it made his shoulders hurt. For one, Vincent had joined him and his friends in their compartment. Al found himself with Vincent on one side and Felicia on the other, and had a hard time finding anything intelligent to say. Felicia kept sending him little sideways knowing grins, and he was acutely aware of Vincent's shoulder brushing his every now and then.

He also kept expecting Evaine to burst into the compartment and hex the hair right off his head or something.

As if reading his mind, Andrew broached the subject a moment later. “I can't believe the Headmaster allowed Evaine to come back after last year.”

“There was never any actual proof she had anything to do with the Dementor attack,” Felicia reminded him. “Just Al's word against hers.”

“And she wasn't kicked out of school,” Dustin added. “Her mother yanked her out.” He was seated across from Al, shoulders hunched in and knees pressed together as he tried to take up as little room as possible. He'd already been the bulkiest of Al's friends, and now he looked closer to sixteen than fourteen. Broad-shouldered and tall, he'd been fairly intimidating as the Gryffindor Beater their third year. Despite his size, however, Dustin was usually soft-spoken and unsure of himself.

“Yeah, because she _knew_ her monster of a daughter was guilty,” Andrew was grumbling. “And that's another thing! Her mum works for the Ministry. I'll bet you ten galleons that's why she's back. Mrs. Engleton probably threatened to make life miserable for anyone that tried to keep Evaine out of school.”

Vincent's face was grim. “Still, the Headmaster's no fool. Even if he couldn't prove it, I'm sure he took Al's accusations seriously. He'll probably keep an eye on her.”

Rose nodded. “And Dumford. At least we don't have to worry about Richmond. I still wish I knew what he did to earn a stint in Azkaban. His father works at the Daily Prophet, and he was very careful to keep the details out of the paper. Since Dumford's a minor, no one could force him to print the whole truth.”

Al remained silent. He'd never told them about that horrible evening by the lake, or at least not in detail. Scorpius and Lily knew; they'd been there. And his parents knew. But they'd decided it was best to keep quiet about the Cruciatus Curse Richmond had subjected him to. If James ever found out, he'd declare open season on Slytherin. Again.

Molly cleared her throat, and Al glanced over to where Lucy was listening with wide eyes. This was not a conversation they should be having on her first day of Hogwarts, he thought with a wince. “So,” he said cheerily, “what House do you think you'll get, Lu? Gonna be a Ravenclaw like your sister?”

“I dunno,” she said in a small voice. She seemed a little intimidated being surrounded by so many older kids she didn't know. “Isn't that how it works? You go in your family's House?”

Personally Al didn't think Lucy was clever enough to land in Ravenclaw, but was kind enough not to point this out. “Not always. Remember, Lily didn't get put in Gryffindor.”

Lucy's eyes got even wider. “What if _I_ get put in Slytherin?” she asked with a quaver to her voice.

“You won't,” Molly said firmly. “You might get Gryffindor. Or Hufflepuff. They're both good Houses. And even if by some weird twist of fate you _do_ get stuck in Slytherin, your cousin Lily's there. She'll look after you. I hear their common room is pretty neat, actually.”

Lucy's lip trembled just a bit, and Rose hastily changed the subject. “Where _is_ Lily, Al? She too cool to sit with us now that she's a big tough second-year? I know Hugo thinks he's still above sitting with his big sister.”

“She's in the Slytherin car with her friend, whatshername, Hillary. With Evaine back, she doesn't want to give her more ammunition by hanging with a bunch of Gryffindors.”

“What about her other friend?” Felicia asked quietly. “Eun Ha. The girl who....” she trailed off, flicking a glance towards Lucy.

Al shook his head. “I don't know if her foster parents will let her come back, to be honest,” he murmured.

Eun Ha had been kidnapped by Evaine and her friends and practically fed to a Dementor the prior year. Al, Scorpius, and Lily had barely rescued her in time. Eun Ha's foster parents were muggles, but they knew enough. They knew their daughter had been held captive and threatened, and they had yanked her out of school immediately. Lily had been very upset, though the two girls had exchanged one or two letters over the summer before Eun Ha's mother had put a stop to it.

Rose got to her feet, stretching. “Speaking of sitting with other Houses, I'm going to go find Helen. It's pretty crowded in here, anyway.” Her gaze darted from Vincent to Al and her lips quirked up ever so slightly.

Al glared at her, willing her to keep any further comments to herself. It was still a bit infuriating that she and Felicia seemed to have cottoned on much earlier than he had. The two of them had seemed way too interested in his friendship with Vincent since second year, and now he finally knew why. A part of him wished they'd clued him in a little earlier instead of leaving him all summer fumbling with unexpected feelings.

Rose left, and the others spent the rest of the train ride playing Exploding Snap and answering Lucy's questions about spells and schoolwork. Al had regretted not telling Lily about how she could have asked the Sorting Hat not to place her in Slytherin, so he was sure to tell Lucy now that she could try her luck if she thought she might be Sorted somewhere she desperately didn't want. This seemed to ease at least some of her fear, and she started bugging Molly to show her funny jinxes in case she met any bullies in class. Molly flat-out refused, and instead firmly led the conversation towards safer topics, like the annual Hogwarts Marathon and Quidditch tryouts.

~*~

It was a fairly calm evening. The one notable event was Lucy getting Sorted into Hufflepuff. She looked a little upset to be in a House away from her sister and cousins, but Louis would be there to look after her, and Hufflepuff had a good reputation for being a House of loyal and kind students. Al knew he wouldn't have to worry about her. He caught a glimpse of Scorpius and Teresa sitting next to each other during dinner, and managed to catch Lily's eye and give a wave as everyone filed out to head to their respective Common Rooms. James was oblivious to most of dinner; he spent the whole time making eyes at Emma across the room, a spectacle that caused Fred and Roxie to make quiet retching sounds behind his back.

Felicia started showing a pair of nervous first-years around the Common Room, and somehow ended up with a small gaggle of them following her around. Andrew and Al thought this amusing to watch where they were sprawled on the couch by the fire. Dustin watched with a fond little smile hovering on his face, and Al found himself eyeing the boy out of the corner of his eye. His vague suspicions from third year were beginning to rise again, but he decided not to say anything and embarrass the boy. Besides, hadn't Felicia said her parents didn't want her dating until she was fifteen? Best to just keep his mouth shut and let the two of them figure it out.

With a jolt he wondered if Felicia and Rose had followed a similar train of thought concerning himself and Vincent.

Andrew produced a handful of chocolate frogs from his pockets and shared them with the other two boys, and they spent awhile eating them-- and chasing Dustin's –swapping the cards, and wondering how bad morning Potions class was going to be. Vincent joined them and the conversation eventually turned to Quidditch. Al managed to stay up until nearly eleven before he started yawning so much it made his jaw ache. Collecting Trinity from where the cat had dozed off in front of the fire, he bade the others good night and shuffled off to bed, full of chocolate and drowsy good feeling.

~*~

Zabini was not waiting for them in the Potions dungeon the next morning.

Several students were milling around, wondering where the Professor was and getting as much general chatting done as they could get away with before he arrived.

“Zabini's never been late before, has he?” Andrew had seated himself on top of Felicia's desk, something he wouldn't have dared do if her Potions partner, a mean Slytherin girl named Delilah, had been there. But she was off in a corner with a lot of other Slytherins.

“No.” Felicia kept turning in her seat to cast nervous glances towards the door as if expecting the bad-temped Professor to come storming in at any second. “Maybe he overslept. I mean, he's only human. Could happen to anyone.”

“Human, she says,” Andrew scoffed. “Felicia, have you actually _met_ Zabini?” Dustin laughed.

Al barely heard. He'd turned to check and see if Scorpius was with any of the Slythrin groups or at their shared desk. He was unsurprised to see the boy already seated and with his Potions book open. But he did a double-take when he saw that someone was standing by his chair, talking quietly with him.

“I forgot Teresa was in this class,” he said without thinking. But of course she would be. She was in his grade, and he remembered her from Defense Against the Dark Arts, the other class Gryffindors shared with Slytherin. But it was very odd seeing her at his desk.

The others craned their heads, following the direction of his gaze.

“Oh.” Felicia blinked. “I mean... I knew, I just never really give her much thought. She never speaks up in this class, and I don't think she's ever messed up a Potion enough for Zabini to scold her.” She pointed to the far corner of the room, near the front. “She usually sits up there, and you're hidden all the way in the back, Al. It's no wonder you never really noticed her. Especially with you and Scorpius bickering so much.”

Andrew shrugged. “She's just always invisible in every class. Super shy, I guess.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “I'd keep my trap shut and my head down too if there were rumors about _my_ mother being some Death Eater spy flying about. Especially nowadays.”

“Oh, honestly,” Felicia tutted. “Even Rose said there was never any proof of that, and her mother is head of the Wizard.. police or whatever, right? She would know better than anybody.”

“She seems all right,” Dustin added quietly. “I've never seen or heard her be even a little mean to anybody.”

“Didn't know she was chummy with Malfoy, though.” Andrew sent Al a curious look. “And here I thought only you were dumb enough to try to be friends with the git.”

Al opened his mouth for an automatic retort, but the dungeon door swung open fully just then, and Zabini swept into the dungeon, scowling darkly.

“To your seats!” he snapped, sending frightened students scattering instantly. “This is a classroom, not a break room. Turn your books to page seven and read the chapter in _silence_.”

Al slid into his seat beside Scorpius, glancing up at Teresa as she hurried away to her own desk. Felicia was right, she was easy to miss. The two boys seated behind her were big enough to completely block her table from view.

“Wonder why Zabini's late,” he murmured very softly as he pulled out his book.

Scorpius glanced from him to Zabini, frowning very slightly. “I don't know, but he looks even more angry than usual. Try not to get us in trouble on the first day, Potter.”

Al made a face at him, but gave up any further attempts at conversation. Everyone was bent over their books, making a big show of reading in complete silence, and even a whisper would have carried.

He obediently read the introductory chapter, but wasn't sure how much of the information had actually stuck. He'd never found Potions very interesting, and he was distracted by his curiosity about Zabini. Sneaking a peek to the front of the room, he saw the Professor seated behind his desk, glaring at his own clasped hands. Perhaps Felicia had been right and he'd simply overslept. He did look a little ruffled, and his eyes looked bruised and bloodshot.

Scorpius had finished the chapter already as well, and was thumbing ahead looking for anything interesting to read, an expression of boredom stamped on his face. After a slight hesitation, Al tugged a piece of spare parchment from his bag and tried to look as if he was studiously taking notes. He meant to ask about Zabini again, but instead what he found himself writing was, _**I keep hearing p. conflicting things abt Teresa. No one has anything bad to say about her i guess but did u hear the rumors abt her mother??**_

Making sure Zabini was still staring at his hands, he slid the note over to Scorpius. Scorpius read the note with a small frown, then flicked Al a look of mild irritation. Al raised his eyebrows high in question.

With a near-silent sigh, Scorpius glanced towards Zabini, then plucked Al's quill out of his hand, scribbled hastily, and shoved the note back.

Al took a brief moment to be amused by the differences in their handwriting-- his cramped and sloppy, Scorpius's spiky and slanted –and read: _She's always kept to herself and she doesn't cause trouble. The rumors are just that. Rumors. Dad had never heard anything about it, I already asked._

That gave Al pause. If anyone would know the truth, it would have to be Draco or Lucius Malfoy. Lucius had been pretty close to Voldemort for awhile, hadn't he? Even if the rumors _did_ have a grain of truth, it didn't necessarily mean anything. Scorpius was proof of that. He came from a line of Purebloods and Voldemort followers, and he didn't seem to care anything about blood status. _**Well good**_ , he wrote back. _**Evaine's back did u know? But at least u have someone else that won't be a prat to u besides Lily.**_

_How old are you, 10? Stop writing 'u'._

_**It's quicker. What are u my grammer proff?** _

Scorpius balled up the parchment and threw it at his head, and Al had to muffle a yelping laugh. Still, the motion must have caught Zabini's attention, because the Potions Professor got to his feet abruptly. Al and Scorpius hastily glued their eyes to their textbooks.

“Close your books,” Zabini snapped. “Let's see if any of the information actually penetrated your thick skulls.” He began pacing up and down the aisles, quizzing random students ruthlessly. By the time class was finished and Al had been humiliatingly berated in front of everyone for an incorrect answer, he no longer cared why the Professor looked so exhausted, and found himself wishing the man would fall down the stairs and maybe break something.

As usual, Zabini was the only Professor who doled out homework the first day back. The other Professors were accustomed to easing their classes into a studious mindset, and the rest of the day was fairly easy and uneventful. The only unusual thing was Evaine's strangely quiet demeanor.

He wasn't the only one to notice. Andrew brought it up during dinner. “Okay, does anyone think maybe Evaine went to brainwashing camp during the summer?”

Felicia almost choked on her pumpkin juice. “ _What?_ ”

“She's been very not-herself all day, and it's givin' me the willies,” Andrew insisted.

“That's true,” Dustin said slowly, sending a nervous sideways glance in the direction of the Slytherin table. “She's still giving dirty looks left and right, but she's been... eerily quietly. I haven't seen her picking on any first-years or even really speaking up much in class.”

Al nodded. “She hasn't tried to jinx me in the back or made fun of me in front of half the student body yet. I thought it was a little weird.”

“Maybe her mother or the Headmaster said she had to be on her best behavior this year,” Felicia said. “Whether her mother knows the truth about that Dementor attack or not, I'm sure she told Evaine to lay low and not make herself look suspicious. Being friendly with Richmond doesn't help. Kind of puts you in a poor light when one of your flunkies gets tossed into Azaban.”

“Azkaban,” Andrew corrected impatiently. “You said 'Alakazam' earlier. Like 'wizard police'. It's Magical Law Enforcement. You sound like a muggle.”

Felicia flushed. “I'm sorry,” she said a bit pertly. “It's not _my_ fault wizards give everything such weird magicky names.”

Al opened his mouth, but Dustin leapt to her defense ahead of him, his voice low and with a shadow of steel that normally wasn't there. “She didn't grow up in the wizarding world, Andrew. Cut her some slack.”

It was Andrew's turn to look a little embarrassed. “Look, I'm not trying to be a prat. But you need to learn this stuff. Not just because you sound silly,” he pressed on firmly when she gave an angry huff, “but because things are _really weird_ right now. I don't know what's happening or if whatever it is is gonna be like before, but during the last Wizard War, muggle-borns were targets. You need to be careful not to remind everyone that your family don't have magic.”

“I'm not ashamed of where I came from,” Felicia said, her voice rising a bit.

“He kind of has a point,” Al said quietly. “It's nothing to be ashamed of,” he said hastily when she turned a fierce look his way. “But idiots like Evaine look down on it, and we already know how far she's willing to go. Don't give her an excuse to lock _you_ in a room with a Dementor. In case you forgot, Eun Ha's foster parents are muggles. That might be why they picked her for all we know.”

“I think you're overreacting,” Felicia grumbled, but looked a little mollified. “It's sweet of you guys to worry, but also super annoying. Don't worry about me. Really. Unlike _some people_ , I at least try to keep myself out of trouble.” She gave Al a pointed look.

Al shook his head emphatically. “Hey, I'm behaving this year. I just want a quiet normal year for once. I'm going to focus on my studies and my spells and nothing else.”

“ _Nothing_ else?” Felicia teased, flicking a glance towards where Vincent was laughing with James and Fred.

Al looked quickly down at his plate, hoping no one noticed how pink his ears were. “Well... we'll see,” he mumbled.

Dustin and Andrew looked puzzled, so Felicia took pity on him and smoothly changed the subject to Quidditch, a surefire way to distract them both.


	3. Lily's News

For a time it did seem like Al actually _would_ have a normal year for once.

Students and faculty alike seemed to be going out of their way not to talk about Dementors or any of the other uncomfortable news that had plagued the paper all summer. Al went to classes, talked with his friends, and stayed up later than he should have struggling with homework. He saw no snake and wand graffiti anywhere, and Evaine continued to be brooding but otherwise harmless. Then two weeks into the year Lily had back-to-back upheavals in her life.

First was the reappearance of Eun Ha.

She slipped in quietly after dinner one night, so Al had no idea she was back until Lily came racing up to him in the halls on the way down to breakfast. “She's back, she's back!” she squealed, face lit up with excitement.

Al, Andrew, and Felicia froze, a dozen different fears flashing through their minds. Al was wondering confusedly if Lily meant that Evaine had reverted to her previous menacing self-- and wondering why his sister seemed so thrilled about it –when Lily continued breathlessly, “Eun Ha! She spent all summer convincing her parents to let her come back, and now she's _here_!”

“I'm happy for you,” Felicia said instantly.

“ _I'm_ surprised,” Andrew said bluntly. “How'd she ever convince them? And why'd she even want to come back?”

Al elbowed him in the ribs, but Lily was too gleeful to let the question annoy her. As she chattered, Al's eyes wandered to the big green berets in her hair. A small detached corner of his mind made a puzzled note that she seemed to be wearing more green this year.

“She was terrified by what happened, obviously,” Lily was explaining. “But she still missed learning magic, and hanging out with me and Hillary. I mean, how would _you_ feel, Felicia, if you found out this whole big magical world existed and you were a part of it, and then you realized you might never be in it again?”

“That would be awful,” Felicia admitted quietly, in a tone that made Al think the fear had crossed her mind before.

“Al, you'll never guess who convinced her parents to let her come back.” Lily's eyes were shining. “It was _Dad_.” When Al's eyebrows shot up, she laughed. “I moped about it enough, maybe he decided to help. Coming from a muggle background, he kind of knew what to say to them, I guess. And he pointed out that without proper training and educating, Eun Ha ran the risk of getting into trouble either by hurting someone on accident or using magic underage and having wizards show up at her door. He told them it was better for her to learn to how to control it, and also that the Professors are going to be keeping a closer eye on the students. It took a _lot_ of convincing, but between them I guess Dad and Eun Ha finally talked them down.” She paused for breath. “There's some rules, though. Like she has to go home for all the holidays, and she has to write home at least once a week. And if anything dangerous happens here again, they threatened to pull her out again.” She beamed. “But she's _back_. And if I have to become her own personal bodyguard to make her feel safe, well, that's what I'll do.” She nodded in a firm, going-into-battle sort of way, and Al had to hide a smile.

Andrew snorted, but changed it into a weak cough. The thought of tiny little Lily being anyone's bodyguard was an odd mental image.

“Also,” Lily added happily, “Scorpius taught me this wicked jinx the other day that I'm just dying to try on the next bully who so much as looks at her funny.”

Al made a mental note to have a chat with Scorpius about that, but for the moment let it go. “I'm happy for you. You guys look out for each other this year, and remember what Mom and Dad said. Keep your nose clean.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She flapped her hand impatiently. “Anyway... I gotta go, I'm starving.”

Two days later came another event, but this one he found out from Scorpius.

“Have you seen your sister?” Scorpius muttered.

Al glanced over at him, a little surprised that the other boy had initiated conversation for once. They were carefully trying to make a Shrinking Solution, and Zabini had stepped out into the hall briefly to speak with Professor Sinistra. “I probably won't see her until lunch, and then only for a minute.” For a moment it struck him as odd that he was more likely to see Scorpius more in a day than his own sister. “Why?”

“Slytherin Quidditch tryouts are this afternoon. She seemed pretty determined to go.”

Al sat up straight, potion forgotten. Gryffindor wasn't having its tryouts until the weekend, and he only knew this because James wouldn't shut up about it. “I thought she hadn't figured out which position she wanted. I mean, she's got the build for Seeker, I guess, but I assume Teresa will still be Seeker. She's brilliant on a broom.”

“Yeah, I heard she made a fool out of you in second year,” Scorpius said with a little smirk.

Al made a face at him. “Never mind that. Anyway, thanks for the heads up. I'll have to find Lily later and see how it went.” He hoped fervently that she at the very least wouldn't do something unlucky like fall off her broom. She'd gotten the new broom she wanted for her birthday and practiced all summer, but Al wasn't sure how good she was. She tended to go flying with James or Fred, and Al had spent most of his own summer holed up with Vincent. “Now I guess you _have_ to attend the games,” he teased. “Lily might sulk if you don't cheer her on, and now that you and Teresa are kinda friendly, you should do the same for her.”

Scorpius frowned, glancing towards the front of the classroom where Teresa sat, and didn't answer. Al had only been teasing, but realized the same uncomfortable thought may have already occurred to Scorpius. The fact that he might even be contemplating overcoming his great fear of heights to show support for Teresa was a little endearing.

“What are you going to do when Gryffindor goes up against Slytherin?” Scorpius arched one pale eyebrow at him. “Everyone knows how your brother feels about Slytherin. If we beat Gryffindor, do you cheer for your sister, or soothe your brother's ego?”

Al made a face. This was something that had already bothered him when Lily had first proclaimed her wishes to join the Quidditch team and then she'd gone and landed in Slytherin. “I'll still cheer for Lily, even if I'll be upset about the loss. James can get over himself for one stupid game.”

Scorpius gave him a disbelieving look, and Al pretended to focus on his potion. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure _how_ James would react to such a loss. He'd never been a graceful loser before. Luckily he didn't have to admit this out loud, because Zabini returned just then and Scorpius hastily turned his eyes on his own cauldron.

~*~

Lily found Al in the halls on the way to dinner and practically tackled him in her excitement. She came running up, flushed and grinning ear to ear, and knocked him into Dustin with a flying hug.

“I'm on the team!” she squealed. “I'm gonna play Quidditch!”

“That's great, Lil,” he congratulated once he got his breath back. “What position?”

“Well, I tried for Seeker but that Teresa is a much better flyer than me. But I got Chaser!”

“Good going, kid,” Andrew said, giving her a friendly little punch on the shoulder.

Al looked over Lily's head to where James, Roxie, and Fred had paused to listen. He gave his brother a meaningful look.

“Congrats,” James said, and if his smile looked a little forced, Lily didn't notice in her glee. Then he added as if he couldn't help himself, “I'll try not to knock you off your broom.”

Dustin looked at Lily's small frame and then shot Al a deeply worried look, as if the thought of aiming a Bludger at her was upsetting.

Roxie offered her cousin a high five. “All that practice over the summer paid off. You really improved. To be honest I wasn't sure Slytherin would accept a second-year. They tend to go for big and mean.”

“I almost made alternate instead,” Lily admitted, her smile dimming just a bit. “But the guy they were going to pick instead of me warned the Captain he'd be studying for his O.W.L.s this year and that might interfere with practice. She didn't like that.” She gave a little wave, all smiles again. “I can't wait for practice. But I gotta go, Eun Ha and Hillary are saving me a seat. James, let me borrow Rocco later, I wanna write Mom and Dad about it.”

Felicia watched her go with a worried little frown. “D'you suppose the real reason they picked her was because they knew she'd go up against James?” she asked softly. “Seems like they'd be delighted to force those two to fight each other. James is gonna have to knock a Bludger at her at some point.”

Al didn't answer, hurrying her along. He was sure that had something to do with it, but didn't want to start that particular conversation with James just now.

Partway through dinner the owls arrived with the mail, and Al had to hastily move the potatoes aside when Vincent's rusty red owl Brick came in for a landing, clutching a rolled-up paper in one talon. Vincent gave the big owl a distracted pat, already spreading out the Daily Prophet and skimming it anxiously. Noticing Al's attention, he shrugged. “I thought it'd be a good idea to keep up-to-date on all these Dementor sightings. If one's anywhere around Hogsmeade I'd like to not be surprised.”

“Anything scary happening?” Andrew asked, food momentarily forgotten.

Vincent's eyes flicked back and forth across the paper for a moment. “Something about some kind of dust-up between Aurors and a 'person of interest' who managed to get away.”

James looked up quickly. “Which Aurors?”

“Doesn't say.”

“Couldn't have been your dad, then,” Fred said reassuringly. “Any time he does anything, they always make a point to plaster his name all over the story.” James nodded, glancing down the table towards Hugo, who was busy talking with his friends. Uncle Ron was also an Auror.

After dinner James pulled Al and Vincent aside in the Common Room. “Right, looks like the news is gonna stay scary, so I guess we might as well start your Patronus training. Vincent already told me you guys found the Room of Requirement, Al, so that's where we'll practice. Meet me under the troll ballet painting after dinner tomorrow and we'll get started.”

~*~

Patronus training turned out to be harder than Al had anticipated.

At least James, for once, didn't lose his cool when Al tired and failed for the fourth time. Al suspected this probably had more to do with his pride than his patience. James would not have been pleased if they'd mastered the spell quicker than he had.

“It's a pretty advanced spell,” James said, clearly trying and failing to hide his smug smile as he gave his brother a comforting pat on the head. “Even Dad had trouble with it. And he had a boggart that looked like an actual Dementor to kind of spur him on.”

Al ducked away from the hand, scowling. He lowered his wand, looking at the Dementor training dummy the Room of Requirement had helpfully provided. “Maybe it only works on actual Dementors.”

James shook his head. “When Neville trained me, I didn't even have a dummy like this one. And Dad trained Dumbledore's Army without a Dementor. You just need to focus. Maybe the memory you're choosing isn't strong enough. Anyway, it took days of training with Neville for me to finally get it, and to be honest it still wasn't at full strength until I took on that Dementor that was chasing you. That was the first time it was actually corporeal. When I was training, it was just like some white fog shield thing, not a raven.”

Al sighed quietly. He'd tried several different memories. He wasn't sure if the memory was the problem or he just wasn't strong enough to do the spell yet. At least Vincent was having just as much trouble as he was, though there had been a tiny puff of _something_ out of his wand tip on his last try. Vincent had been so surprised by his brief hint of success, though, that it'd disappeared an instant later.

“I didn't expect either of you to get it the first day,” James said firmly. “But we need to stop for now. It's almost curfew, and we don't all need to land in detention again. C'mon.”

“We'll get this,” Vincent said confidently, squeezing Al's shoulder briefly as they trooped out of the room. “Like James said, it's just gonna take practice.”

They were startled to find Lily waiting for them close to Gryffindor tower, the invisibility cloak clutched to her chest in a wad. “Did you do it?” she asked the second she saw them.

“Of course not, not on their first day,” James scoffed. “What are you doing up here? It's nearly curfew.”

“I wanted to know how it went,” Lily said with a pout. “Since Dad won't let _me_ learn.” She patted the cloak. “Besides, I won't get caught.”

“Well, get back to the Slytherin dungeons, it's late.” James made a shooing motion. “It'll be awhile before Al gets this right.”

“Wait.” Lily squeezed the cloak tighter, and Al noticed for the first time how anxious she looked. “That's not the only reason I was waiting for you.” She glanced around as if afraid someone else would be lurking in the empty hallway, spying on them, then shuffled closer, lowering her voice. “I think I might have an idea who the leader of those weirdos in the Deep Dungeons is. The small one who made the snake Patronus and who--” She stopped abruptly, darting Al a look. She was referring to the person Scorpius had tangled with by the lake, but the others didn't know about that.

“Who is it?” he asked quickly to cover her verbal stumble. James and Vincent crowded closer, expressions intent.

“There's this boy, a third-year. He's kinda shrimpy, and pretty powerful from what I hear.”

“But--” Al stopped, frustrated. Scorpius had said the voice of the person he'd fought had been a girl's. But again he couldn't figure out how to point this out without mentioning the lake. He tried another tack. “They were so small, I thought we assumed it was a girl.”

Lily seemed to know what he was referring to, but shook her head. “I know, but... We were never _positive_ , right? We never got a good look at them. And this guy has kind of a high voice, it still breaks sometimes.”

“Who is it?” James asked impatiently.

“A Slytherin.”

“Obviously.”

Lily made a face at him, but continued. “His name's Erik. I can't remember his last name... Parker or Paskins or something like that. He's a year above me, so I don't exactly hang out with him. He's just another face in the Common Room. But I heard some older students talking about how well he was doing in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and how he's supposedly pretty powerful for his age. I had someone point him out to me, said I might need help with homework or something. He's kinda creepy. Mostly sticks to himself and just... _watches_ people from a corner. He ducked into the boys' dorm when he saw me looking at him, though.” She shuddered. “I didn't like the look he gave me. Oh, _and_ someone said he was friendly with Richmond.”

“Keep an eye on him, but keep your distance,” James said immediately. “Let us know if you catch him being chummy with Evaine or doing anything suspicious. If we can find the leader of those creeps, we can tell the Headmaster and maybe make sure nothing dangerous happens here again.”

“Warn Scorpius, too,” Al said quietly.

Lily nodded, but James threw him a disgusted look.

“We need to get to bed,” Vincent said, clearly trying to forestall an argument. “You too, Lily.”

She nodded, throwing the cloak over her shoulders and vanishing. “Be careful,” Al called after her.

“C'mon,” James snapped. He led the way to the fat lady's portrait, grumbling about Malfoys and Slytherins under his breath.


	4. Bared Teeth

Patronus training did not get easier. With Quidditch practice taking up much of James's and Vincent's free time, they were lucky if they managed to squeeze in an hour once or twice a week in the Room of Requirement.

After James had to cancel for the third time in as many days, Al finally just start going to practice alone. After having found in himself his first year a natural talent for Charms, his inability to get so much as a puff of smoke from his wand tip now for such an important spell rankled him. Stressing out, he knew, was not helping him get in the right mindset to produce a sufficiently powerful memory. But after the scare with the Dementor last year, he knew his life and others may well end up depending on his knowledge of the spell. And he had to admit he was very curious what shape his Patronus might take.

James's was a raven, and it suited him: sly, a bit arrogant, and prone to mischief. But also bold as brass. What would Al's Patronus be? Or Vincent's, for that matter? What if Al ended up with something silly like a frog or a duck?

These practices were also one of the few times he got to hang out with Vincent, as well. They were a year apart so shared no classes, and outside of classes Vincent had homework and Quidditch practice. Al almost regretted not being on the team again himself, but the feeling passed quickly. Even for more time with Vincent he would not put himself in such a stressful position again.

It wasn't just his crush and his Patronus practice that had Al feeling stretched too thin. Classes had gotten harder, and there were the Slytherins to watch. And not just Evaine, who had started to ease back into her bullying ways. Lily had pointed out Erik, the boy she suspected of being the leader of the students who'd loosed the Dementor, and Al tailed the boy as much as he could when he spotted him in the halls, trying to catch him doing anything suspicious.

Erik was a small unpleasant-looking boy with closely-cropped red hair, mean little eyes, and a permanent scowl that showed off bad teeth. He had yet to do anything more sinister than jinx a frightened Ravenclaw first-year, though, and that had backfired because Neville had been nearby and caught him in the act. Al had heard him speak a couple of times, and had to admit that there was a possibility that the thin reedy voice might have easily fooled Scorpius into thinking his attacker was a girl.

He warned Felicia about him as well, so she could keep an eye on him, but she seemed skeptical. He was filling her in on the jinx he'd seen Erik cast, but she didn't seem too worried. “It _could_ be him,” she said. “But how do we even know it's a Slytherin? Don't forget, the Headmaster had good reason to think other Houses could have been involved. We still don't know where that other passage out of the Deep Dungeons lead.”

Al remembered, though the thought was not a happy one. “Yeah, but remember, their leader's Patronus was a snake. _That's_ very Slytherin, isn't it? And they seemed pretty buddy-buddy with Richmond and Dumford, both older Slytherins. _And_ there's his name.”

“Erik?” A sardonic little grin tugged at her mouth. “If you're about to go on about how Erik with a K means evil...”

Al had no idea what she was talking about, and waved it off impatiently. They were on their way to lunch, and he lowered his voice as a group of chattering girls walked past. “His _last_ name. I asked around. It's Parkinson.”

“So?”

“ _So_ that's a Pureblood family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. My dad even went to school with a Parkinson, he said she was mean as a snake. She was pretty close to Draco Malfoy, and loved the fact that he was a Death Eater. I don't know if Erik's her kid or nephew or _whatever_ , but he's bad news.”

“I'm not saying there's no way it's him,” Felicia said. “I'm just saying there's a _possibility_ it's someone else entirely. For all we know it's some sneaky little Ravenclaw who we sit next to in class every day. I just don't want you to get so caught up thinking Erik's definitely the bad guy until we have proof of--”

There was a sudden commotion in the hall up ahead. Shouting, a furious shriek, and then a BANG that made him jump and Felicia give a startled little squeak.

Al hastily began pushing his way through the suddenly packed hall, eager to see if Evaine or Erik was doing something stupid.

“You don't talk to her like that!” a girl was shouting indignantly, voice strident with rage. Al began shoving people out of his way with more force than necessary. He knew that voice.

A few people cursed at him angrily for the rough treatment, and one or two threw an elbow his way, but he ignored it. As he wiggled past a tall Hufflepuff girl, he finally got a good look at what was going on.

Eun Ha had her back flat against a wall, her eyes wide behind her glasses. Lily was standing in front of her like a furious little guard dog, eyes blazing, her wand pointing down at a boy writhing on the ground, his face erupting in huge disgusting green blisters.

Lily glared at him another instant, then threw a fierce challenging look around at the spectators, especially a handful of Slytherins watching her almost warily. “Anyone else want some?” she shouted. Al gaped at her.

Some of the older students laughed, but the band of Slytherins gave Lily weak little sneers and faded into the crowd. One or two of them, Al noticed, actually gave her calculating looks, seeming a little impressed.

Al hadn't realized Felicia had followed him until she hissed urgently in his ear, “A Professor is bound to show up any second!”

Al hurried forward, grabbing his sister by the elbow. “Take Eun Ha and get out of here,” he whispered quickly. “Before a teacher comes to see what's going on.”

Lily scowled, but thrust her wand in her robes, took Eun Ha by the hand, and ducked into the crowd.

An irritated voice rang out from the opposite direction. “What's going on over there?”

At the sound of Professor Sinistra approaching, the rest of the students beat a hasty retreat for the dining hall. Al spared a quick glance for Lily's victim, then joined Felicia as she hastened past. Whatever the boy had said or done to bring Lily's wrath down on him, the other students seemed to feel the punishment was deserved, because no one seemed interested in hanging around to point fingers at his attacker.

Al did get a glimpse of the boy's tie, however, and groaned internally at the sight of silver and emerald. Attacking a student in her own House... Even if no one snitched, she would probably pay for it later. He'd learned that Slytherins usually frowned on jinxing their own. He just hoped that the boy wouldn't tell Sinistra who had mangled his face. He'd been a big guy, probably sixth-year. Hopefully his embarrassment at being laid low by a second-year girl would override his desire to see her end up in detention.

He caught up with Lily just outside the dining hall, where she was handing Eun Ha off to Hillary.

“Are you crazy?” he demanded the second she was within hearing range. “Even if you manage to escape detention, he'll try and get back at you.”

Lily turned to give him a bull-headed scowl. “You weren't there. You didn't hear him.”

“What did he say?” Felicia asked.

“He called Eun Ha--” she hesitated, looking to make sure the girl had headed inside to dinner, then lowered her voice. “He called her a Mudblood. Just because she doesn't know who her real parents are. She doesn't really know what that means, but it was still a nasty thing to say.” She bared her teeth. “And now everyone knows not to say it to her again.”

Al stared at her in consternation. “You're crazy,” he said after a moment, because he couldn't think of anything else to say.

“But he said--!”

“Yeah, it was a terrible thing to say. Couldn't you have just insulted him back or something, or told him to keep his fat mouth shut?”

“No,” she snapped, eyes glittering with barely-controlled anger. “Why just threaten him when I can make _sure_ he thinks twice about saying something so vile again?” She spun on her heel and stormed into the dining hall.

Al watched her go, mouth open. He'd seen Lily lose her temper before, but something about this was... different. Her swift retaliation had been harsh but calculated.

“Very... Slytherin,” Felicia murmured, then pressed her lips tight together and threw Al an apologetic look.

But the same thought had already crossed Al's mind.

~*~

“What jinx did you teach my sister?”

Scorpius peeked at Al out of the corner of his eye, one pale eyebrow arching in question.

Al glanced towards the front of the classroom to make sure Zabini was still preoccupied berating a miserable-looking girl about her botched potion, and slid a little lower in his seat so his cauldron hid his face from the Professor's view. He glared at Scorpius openly, struggling to keep his voice a murmur. “She mentioned before that you taught her a jinx. And she hit some guy in the face with some kind of gross blister jinx yesterday. And not just to defend her friend. To _make a point_. What have you been filling my sister's head with?”

Scorpius seemed unimpressed with his anger. He returned his attention to his own potion, his lips barely moving. “Are you mad that I taught her a jinx for self-defense, or that she's becoming a Slytherin?”

“Both, you ass, and I wish you'd stop always asking questions you already know the answer to. Don't teach her stuff like that! You're going to get her into trouble.”

“She'll get _herself_ into trouble. I taught her the jinx in case she needed it, I didn't tell her to blast some guy full in the face with it in front of half the school.” He reached over and stole some of Al's crushed ox horn. “What did Reggie even say to deserve that, anyway? Most of Slytherin was talking about the incident, but not what he actually said.”

“He called her friend a Mudblood.”

Scorpius's mouth twisted down in a brief moue of distaste. Then he shrugged. “Well, it worked. Her demonstration, I mean. No one's picking on Eun Ha, and several of the younger students who sometimes gave your sister a hard time are giving both girls a wide berth now. She showed her teeth, and now everyone knows she won't just sit there and take it anymore. It's making them more careful. Even making some of them accept her.”

Al sighed, glad to know he wouldn't have to worry about her as much, but upset by her methods. It just figured the only way Lily would finally get her House's respect was through such an act. “I'm worried,” he admitted softly. “About what it will do to her, I mean. I don't want her to think she has to be tough and mean just to be safe. It could become a habit. She could end up just like the people she despises.” He clenched his teeth to make himself shut up. That particular dark fear was one he had barely dared admit to himself, and he'd never meant to say it out loud. The thought of his sweet, happy little sister getting twisted into just another Slytherin bully over time was almost more than he could bear.

“She'll get harder and tougher,” Scorpius said, matter-of-fact. “It's the only way to survive in Slytherin.” He hesitated, studying the look on Al's face. “It doesn't mean she'll grow up to be an Evaine clone. She doesn't live in a bubble.” He shrugged and looked away, as if the topic made him uncomfortable. “She's still got her nerdy little friends and you and the rest of the Potter/Weasley mob. Quit freaking out about it, it's annoying to watch.”

Al made a face at him, but didn't respond. Scorpius had a point. And more importantly, he was trying in his own brusque way to reassure Al. It was a little touching, if also deeply weird. “I think she looks up to you,” he said abruptly. “Merlin knows why.” He grinned a little when Scorpius rolled his eyes. “I'm just saying, you're also an influence on her. And _you're_ not a bully. Just... don't teach her any more jinxes. Especially not ones that... _gross_.” He shuddered.

“Now I'm going to teach her even grosser ones,” Scorpius deadpanned, stealing the last of Al's wasp wings.

Al realized belatedly what he was doing, and a brief but silent fight over the wasp wings ensued until Zabini grew suspicious and strode their way with angry purposeful steps.

~*~

Lily didn't go jinxing anyone else in the hallways, to Al's relief. Not that she needed to. More than once he caught a glimpse of her walking to or from class, and some other Slytherins seemed to be talking to her normally. Perhaps they were finally accepting her as one of them. Al was still of two minds about this. At least, he consoled himself, it might mean even Evaine would think twice about messing with her now.

Only a few days after the incident in the hall, all thoughts and worries about his sister abruptly shifted to the back of his mind, because suddenly Vincent was paying attention to him.

It was the oddest thing. One day the older boy was ruffling his hair in passing with a friendly but distracted smile. Then the next he was eyeing Al a little curiously during lunch. And during one of their rare Patronus practices, he seemed extra attentive and encouraging. He even came over to sit with Al and his friends in the Common Room rather than wandering off to cause mischief with James and the others.

It made Al paranoid.

_Someone told._ The panicked thought bounced around his head in a frantic loop. Either Rose or Felicia had gotten tired of his patheticness and clued poor Vincent in. He was sure of it. A part of him almost hoped it was true. Wanted it to be in the open so Vincent could  _do_ something about it, even if it meant letting Al down gently. Just to have it over and done with.

But mostly he was scared and embarrassed and wanted to choke whichever of them had let the cat out of the bag.

“Oh for heaven's sake,” Rose huffed when a frantic Al cornered her after dinner one night. “We wouldn't do that to you. Anyway, he probably figured it out for himself, _finally_. I mean, he's not stupid. You're kind of throwing yourself at him. It'd be sad if it wasn't so cute and funny.”

“I'm going to jinx all your hair off,” Al threatened, knowing he was beet red and hating it.

“Or someone else could have picked up on it and told him,” Rose mused, unmoved. “Roxie, maybe. Seems like something she'd do. It wouldn't occur to her to keep her mouth shut about it, she'd just think it was funny. Or maybe she thinks she's being helpful.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Al wailed, pacing frantically. The old man in the portrait overhead peered down at him in disapproval at the noise.

“Just act normally. Be cool. If he does know, let him make the first move, since you're obviously too keyed up about it and would probably just...” She stopped, smiling weakly.

“Make an idiot of myself?” Al grumbled.

“Well...” She shrugged. “Isn't it better this way? Let him know without _saying_ anything. Maybe now he's watching for signs and will take it from here.”

Al stopped pacing, chewing his lip nervously. Now that he might finally be in sight of what he wanted, he was seized with panic. What if Vincent finally put two and two together and laughed at Al's childish crush? What if he didn't? What if  _he_ started acting weird? What if he admitted to sharing the same feelings? What then? Al felt like a dog chasing its tail. What was he supposed to to with it once he caught it? And who was he supposed to go to for advice? James was the only one dating that he knew of, but Al would rather chew off his own arm than go to his brother for advice in this area. Even if it had been just some random girl Al was trying to date, the ridicule and smugness would be overbearing. But he had a bad feeling James would not take it well if he found out Al was having fluttery “I wonder how kissing works” feelings about one of his closest friends.

“I don't know what to do,” he groaned, covering his face with his hands.

Rose sighed, giving his shoulder a sympathetic pat. “Look, just let things play out. Prepare yourself for the worst. And for the best. I'd say just make yourself available and let Vincent take the lead, but...” She shrugged helplessly. “I don't know if he's ever dated before, either. Oof, this is going to be painful to watch unfold.” Chuckling quietly, she left her cousin to his tangled thoughts.


	5. The Odd Couple

There was definitely something up with Vincent.

For the rest of the week, he caught Vincent watching him with a puzzled, thoughtful expression, though he always glanced quickly away when he realized Al had noticed. He seemed to be making more of an effort to drop by and say hey to Al and his friends, or include them in conversations he was having with Roxie, Fred, and James.

He was also, Al noticed with a sinking feeling, being very very careful not to touch him.

It had always annoyed him when James ruffled his hair, but it didn't bother him so much when Vincent did it. Now he never did. And it was a conscious decision, Al was sure. Once Vincent had reached out to take his arm to steady him when he'd stumbled on an uneven stair, then abruptly withdrew the hand before making contact.

Felicia tried to soothe his anxiety. “Maybe he's just... working things out still, and wants to be sure where things stand.”

“Or he knows, and he doesn't want to give me the wrong idea,” Al moaned into a couch cushion. They'd stayed up late to finish homework, but Andrew and Dustin had already thrown in the towel and gone to bed.

“Maybe,” Felicia admitted softly. “But you won't know until you talk to him.” She hesitated. “Maybe... you should try actually.. yanno... flirting with him.”

Al jerked his head up, new panic bubbling up inside of him. This alarming advice was the opposite of Rose's. “What?”

“Flirting. Obviously just trying to hang out with him isn't doing anything. Be a little more obvious.” At his wide-eyed stare, she gave a little huff of impatience. “Wouldn't you rather just _know_? Then it won't keep tearing you up and making you so jumpy.”

Al thumped his head back into the cushion. “I can't.” His voice sounded muffled and pathetic even to his own ears. “I mean...” He sat up, struggling to pull himself together. “I mean, I _do_ want to know. But I'm afraid to. And I don't know how to.. to _flirt_!” He punched the cushion a few times, suddenly infuriated with himself and the situation. “This is so _stupid_. I hate feeling like this. I wish I was still eleven and dumb and didn't have to think about crap like this.”

“Growing up's a pain,” Felicia agreed with a fleeting smile.

Al gave her a desperate look. “Don't _you_ feel like this at all? Ever? About anyone?”

“No.” She hesitated, her eyes shying away. She frowned slightly, as if she'd searched inside herself and found something she wasn't sure what to make of yet. “At least... not really.” She looked back at him, expression stern again. “I have more important stuff to keep my mind focused. I figure there's no point even thinking about silly stuff like that until next year.”

Right. Her parents had forbidden her to date until she turned fifteen. Unlike half the school population, she seemed quite content with such a mandate. As if reading his mind, she continued, “I'm glad I don't have time to worry about it, to be honest. I mean, look what it's doing to you. And your brother is kind of ridiculous around his girlfriend. People that date spend so much time together, and that seems kind of exhausting. I have classes. Homework. Magic! I still say boys are not as interesting as magic.”

Al laughed weakly. “Not yet, anyway.”

“Not yet,” she agreed reluctantly, her eyes getting that unsettled look again.

Al hoped secretly whatever internal conflict she was having centered around Dustin, but said nothing. For all the teasing he'd taken from her about his belated realization of his feelings about Vincent, she seemed completely oblivious to the fact that someone was pining after her right in front of her face every day. Or maybe she just chose not to see it.

Felicia tucked her books into her bag with a yawn. “Enough talk about boys. If I wanted to talk about that all the time, I'd be hanging around Coleene more.” She rolled her eyes. “All _she_ ever wants to talk about is how beefy the Hufflepuff Keeper is. And all Greta has been talking about for the last few days is how blue Malfoy's eyes are. It's tiresome. Especially considering she called him a scrawny pasty-faced git last year.”

Al dropped his book on his foot in surprise. Rubbing his smarting toe, he repeated, “Malfoy?”

“Yeah. It's funny, she barely seemed to care he even existed, but now with him dating Teresa and officially off the market, it's like it suddenly makes him an actual person, and Greta's just now clued in that he's kind of cute.”

“ _Cute_?”

Felicia waved a hand dismissively, rising to her feet. “I'm uninterested, not blind. Anyway, you'd think him having a crappy personality would override any physical--”

“His personality isn't... Okay, it's a _little_ crappy. But...” He shook his head in disbelief, unsure which gossip to be more flabbergasted by. Finally he settled on, “Scorpius isn't dating Teresa. They're neighbors. Friends.”

Felicia put a hand on her hip and looked down at him in exasperation. “All aboard Train Oblivious, leaving the station. They've been dating for like a week at least. News travels fast. She asked him out, he obviously said okay. They're not all goofy about it like James and Emma, but even I saw them holding hands once in the hall between classes. I thought you were on good terms with Malfoy. How did you not know?”

Al could do nothing but stare at her, at a complete loss for words.

“Well... good night.” She gave a little wave and shuffled off towards the stairs. After a long moment, Al shook himself out of his stupor and slowly collected the rest of his books.

It was odd to think of Scorpius dating anyone, or that anyone would even be interested in dating him. He seemed like such a loner. He had rebuffed Al's attempts at friendship from day one. Why the sudden willingness to hang out with someone closely all the time?

Though he shied away from it, a small part of him was a little hurt. Why was Teresa, who he barely knew, good enough to date, but he could barely stand to go one conversation with Al, who'd been trying to get him to open up for years?

Malfoy, the boy who barely said two words to anyone, had started dating before Al. That stung. Felicia was right. He was going to have to confront Vincent. Rip off the band-aid, and just get it over with.

~*~

This was easier said than done. Even though Vincent had started paying more attention to him, catching him alone was almost impossible. Even if James and the Weasley cousins were elsewhere, Al was usually surrounded by his own friends. And Al was too nervous to pull Vincent aside. It seemed too bold.

To distract himself, and perhaps pick up cues in body language to figure out how on earth he was supposed to flirt, he found himself watching Scorpius and Teresa carefully. He saw them walking and talking together several times, and she always waited for him after class, but they still didn't seem to be dating. James and Emma were glued together all the time, their relationship there for all to see. Snuggling, kissing, holding hands, and giggling together like a pair of nitwits. The thought of seeing Scorpius act so foolish was a scary one, and he was relieved by its absence. Surely Felicia had been wrong.

He was not as inconspicuous as he imagined. One day Scorpius turned on him in the hall and gave him an impatient glare. “ _What_ are you staring at, Potter?” Teresa turned as well, her expression mildly curious.

Al opened his mouth to stammer out an apology or an excuse, but instead the question just popped right out. “Are you two dating?”

Scorpius blinked, off-guard. He regained his mental footing an instant later and scowled darkly. “I don't see how that's any of your busi--”

“Yes,” Teresa said calmly. “Why do you ask?”

“Uh...” Al shrugged helplessly. “I just... heard a rumor. But I had no idea.. I mean...” He shut up, feeling foolish. “Um. Congrats, I guess.”

“You're so weird, Potter,” Scorpius muttered, shaking his head. “Mind your own business.”

“Are you?” Teresa inquired, her voice so composed and detached that it took Al a second to realize it was a question.

“What?”

“Dating.” Her eyes skipped over Al's shoulder, and he turned to see Felicia exiting the Potions classroom behind him. So was Dustin, and he did not looked pleased at the suggestion.

“Of course not!” Al turned to offer Teresa an incredulous look, and saw an odd expression flicker across Scorpius's face. It was there and gone so quickly Al wasn't even able to categorize it. Dismissing it, he gave a little laugh, more for Dustin's benefit than anything. “Felicia's one of my best mates. But it's not like that.”

“I'm too pretty for him,” Felicia said solemnly. Dustin grinned.

“Ah.” Teresa arched a dark eyebrow, her eyes flicking towards Scorpius. “We assumed--”

“We're gonna be late for class,” Scorpius interrupted rudely. Seizing Teresa by the hand, he spun on his heel and marched off with her.

“Touchy,” Al tsked. Odd that Teresa had said “we”. Why would Scorpius even care? Maybe he was hoping Al would be so distracted by a girlfriend that he would leave him alone. He shrugged when Felicia gave him a Look. “I just wanted to know if it was true. It weirds me out, the thought of them dating. They sure don't _act_ like they are.”

“Act like what?” Andrew was just coming out of the classroom, picking ingredients out of his hair from when his potion had exploded.

“Malfoy is dating Teresa Hernandez,” Dustin filled him in.

Andrew's jaw dropped. “What? Are you serious?” He paused. “Actually, I guess that makes sense. The creepy little weirdos deserve each other.”

“Well, Scorpius was right about one thing,” Felicia said. “We're gonna be late if we don't hurry.”

~*~

Quidditch season kicked off with a surprisingly tough game between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. The game dragged on neck and neck until the Hufflepuff Seeker finally caught the snitch an hour into the game and seized the win. James could be seen consoling Emma afterwards, while the other members of the Gryffindor team quietly adjusted their mental preparedness. They usually didn't worry too much about going up against Hufflepuff because the team had been average the last couple years, and they always played fair. But they'd replaced two of their Chasers and their Keeper, and they had definitely made the Hufflepuff team something to be reckoned with.

It was a surprising victory, but one Gryffindor couldn't afford to linger on for long. The next match would have them facing Slytherin, and these games were always tense and borderline violent. On top of that, several of the Gryffindor players were Al's family, and they'd have to go against Lily. Even Fred, who took Quidditch as seriously as James did, seemed uneasy about the thought of knocking his little cousin off a broom with one of his bludgers. Dustin looked even more upset. He was always worried about accidentally hurting others because of his larger size, and putting a bat in his hand and aiming him at the baby sister of his friend was putting him close to panic.

“Just aim for her broom,” James kept saying. “Yanno, spin her about.” As the Seeker he was unlikely to interact much with Lily himself on the field, a small blessing.

“If you hit my sister in the face with a bludger, I'll never talk to you again,” Al warned Dustin. He was joking. Sort of. But Dustin got a panicked guilty look from then on whenever he spotted Lily in the halls.

“You know he would never hit her,” Felicia scolded. “Don't make him more nervous about the game than he already is.”

Al shrugged, but didn't answer. He felt a little guilty, but if fear or shame kept Dustin from seriously injuring Lily on the field, even if it meant risking the game, he was going to keep his mouth shut and let Dustin go right on worrying about it.

“She knew what she signed up for,” Andrew said firmly. “Getting knocked out by a bludger is kind of a right of passage, isn't it? Don't ruin Gryffindor's chances just because your sister was silly enough to sign up for the team.”

He and Al got into a row about that, and it took a few days of soothing from Dustin, Vincent, and Felicia to get them to make up.

Worrying about Quidditch was effecting Al's studies, and he was shocked and dismayed when he got two low grades back to back for Transfiguration homework.

“We'll do extra studying this weekend,” Felicia assured him, wincing when she caught a glimpse of his latest bad mark.

Al stuffed the parchment hastily into his bag, embarrassed that she'd seen it. “How will that help? None of us are any good at this rubbish. It's hard to do the homework when I barely understand it.”

“Maybe if you talk to Professor Switch she'll give you some extra lessons or something?”

Al shook his head. He could see Flitwick or Macmillan doing him such a favor because they liked him and he already showed promise, but Switch was already barely awake for most of her classes. He couldn't see her willingly taking time out of her day to teach one of her less attentive students.

“I'll figure something out,” he said, but didn't elaborate.

He waited until after dinner, hovering just outside the dining hall until he spotted a familiar thatch of pale hair. Darting forward, he seized the boy by the arm. “I need to talk to you.”

Scorpius jumped a little, turning an incredulous look on him. He was walking with several Slytherins, including Teresa, who merely gave a nod of greeting.

“It's not something dumb, I swear,” Al said hastily when Scorpius looked about to tell him to shove off. “It's about homework.”

“I'll see you later,” Teresa said serenely before Scorpius could even open his mouth. And she continued off down the hall, the other Slytherins following reluctantly after a few suspicious scowls thrown Al's way.

Al practically dragged Scorpius away, down a less-used hall. Scorpius jerked his arm free and stood with his arms crossed as he glared at the other boy. “What do you want?”

“Hi, good evening to you too, I hope you're well,” Al snapped sarcastically. Then he held up his hands in a gesture of peace, taking a deep breath. Getting snarky and then asking for a favor was not the smartest course of action, he reflected. “Sorry. I'm just kind of worked up. Look, I need a big favor.”

“No.”

“You haven't even heard what it is yet. What if I'm asking you to help me finish off a hundred chocolate frogs?”

“Are you?”

“No.”

“Then get bent, Potter, I have homework.”

Al threw his arms up in the air. “So do I! That's what this is about! Anyway, why are you being so grumpy? Mad I interrupted time with your girlfriend?”

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. “You need to stop suddenly coming up to groups of Slytherins like that and _manhandling_ me,” he said through clenched teeth. “You're just asking to get jinxed. Are you blind? Did you even notice Evaine three feet behind me?”

Al blinked. He had not.

“She's being more careful, but she's still the same troll she always was. You're lucky she's trying to curb her impulses, or she'd have jinxed you into next week just for daring to come anywhere near so many of us.”

“Would you have let her?” Al asked curiously. The question popped out completely unprepared, and took Scorpius off guard.

He stared at Al for a moment as if he'd grown two heads, opened his mouth, then shut it again. He'd already intervened to keep Evaine from cursing him once in their second year. “What is this stupid favor, anyway?” he grumbled.

Al found his lack of answer interesting, but let it go. “Look, I asked you before if you'd help me with Transfiguration. I'm asking again. I'm really having a hard time with it.”

“This again?” Scorpius was already shaking his head. “No, Potter. I've got my own studies. I don't have time to teach a lost cause.”

“I'm not a lost cause,” Al protested, stung. “And anyway, what--” He stopped. He'd been about to ask what on earth Scorpius could be doing with his free time, since he'd always been a loner and was not part of any clubs. But obviously there was Teresa now. He would want to spend his free time with her. He put his hands on his hips, mulling the problem over. “What if I return the favor?”

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “With what? Charms homework? I told you, I don't need help in that class.”

“No. Something better.” Al grinned. “I can teach you the Patronus Charm.”

Scorpius's eyes widened, then narrowed thoughtfully. He fell silent, obviously remembering the Patronus James had conjured to save them both the prior year, putting two and two together. Al let him think about it, feeling confident. He was fairly certain Draco Malfoy didn't know the spell. That meant Al was his best and most immediate chance at learning it. “It's a hard spell,” Scorpius said slowly. “Have you mastered it yet?”

Al hesitated. “Nearly.” He lied hastily at Scorpius's impatient noise, “I really do almost have it. James says I'm very close. By the time you're finished helping me with Transfiguration, I'll be able to teach you. Easy.” He thrust out his hand. “Deal?”

Scorpius looked down at his hand, frowning deeply. Finally he glanced up, holding Al's stare with his own. “I'll teach you for a week. After that, you either teach me the Charm or no more study sessions. Period.” He held up a warning finger. “One week. Then you have to prove you can do the spell.”

“Yeah, okay, no problem,” Al said easily, wondering secretly if there was any way he could pull off such a feat. During their last practice, Vincent had finally produced a milky cloud of something that James was sure was a weak version of the Charm. Al had yet to even have a spark come out of his wand. It was difficult to concentrate on one good memory when he spent most of the practice hyper-aware of Vincent's exact location and breathing patterns.

Scorpius reluctantly reached out and gave his hand a short but firm shake. “Meet me in the library after dinner tomorrow. Bring whatever crappy class notes you have so I know just how hopeless you are.” With that, he spun on his heel and strode off before Al could even thank him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, as a heads up, AO3 keeps getting email issues. They had an official notice about it a week or two ago, then it seemed to be fixed but.... Not really? So sometimes notifications of chapter updates might be delayed. Same happens with reviews; I'll see them on the site and be ?? bc I don't get the emails until days later, it's weird.


	6. Human Nature

Al arrived at the library promptly after dinner the following evening, half expecting Scorpius to be a no-show. He had his pick of tables, most of the students still lingering over their meal, so chose a secluded one far from the entrance. He didn't want to risk any passing Slytherins spotting the two of them acting civilized towards one another and go up in arms about it.

He arranged his notes and books and sat fidgeting in his chair, wondering how long he should wait. Within ten minutes, however, Scorpius arrived, a book and some parchment tucked under his arm. Al flagged him over, trying not to look as relieved as he felt.

“Did you inhale your food, Potter?” Scorpius demanded, setting down his things and dropping into the seat across from him with bad grace.

“I didn't want you to get here first and assume I wasn't coming,” Al said defensively, handing over his notes. “Here, you said you wanted to see these.”

Scorpius took the notes and glanced over them with a small frown. “Your handwriting really is awful.”

Al rolled his eyes. “That's very helpful.”

Scorpius ignored him, going over the notes quickly but silently before tossing them aside with a small sigh. “Speaking of helpful, I don't see what use those are. Do you just jot down whatever the Professor says that you _think_ sounds important?”

“That's how notes work.”

Scorpius closed his eyes for a moment as if seeking patience, and Al took the opportunity to reach across the table and snatch up the neatly stacked notes tucked into Scorpius's textbook. He stared at the first page, mouth opening slightly. The entire parchment was covered in Scorpius's slanted writing, some bits underlined, others with little stars next to them that were then referenced or expanded upon at the bottom of the page under a neat dividing dotted line. “Good grief, and I thought Rose took loads of notes. You two should be study buddies, you'd pass everything with flying colors. Do _you_ jot down whatever the Professor says that has more than one syllable?”

Scorpius plucked his notes out of Al's slack grasp with a scowl. “Transfiguration isn't a class you can just coast through, Potter. It's complicated magic, and if you miss the most basic important parts, you'll never be able to do it. If you go about these spells the same way you flop about in Potions--”

“Flop about?” Al repeated indignantly.

“--Then it's no wonder you're having such a hard time,” Scorpius finished as if he hadn't heard the interruption. He put the notes aside and opened the textbook, shoving it between them and jabbing at the first paragraph. “I'm going to assume you retained almost nothing and start from there.”

Al ground his teeth, holding back a retort with a fierce effort.

Despite Scorpius's arrogance and thin patience, however, Al learned a lot in that first hour of tutoring.

Scorpius had the one thing Al and his friends didn't: a firm understanding of the basic rules and abilities of Transfiguration. Because of this he was able to teach it in his own words and expand on it to understand the more difficult aspects of the magic that Al saw as gibberish. Stuffing his own pride into a corner of his subconscious, Al paid close attention and redid his notes. Once Scorpius was sure Al was actually willing to learn, his temper soothed and he became, surprisingly, a more patient teacher than James had been in Patronus training.

The study session that was only supposed to last an hour stretched to almost two, and it wasn't until Al stretched to relieve a kink in his back that he caught a glimpse out the window and saw how dark it was getting. “Merlin's beard,” he swore. “It's getting late and I still have homework to do for Potions and Magical Creatures.”

Scorpius turned to check the window and quickly began packing up his things. “I was supposed to meet Teresa half an hour ago,” he grumbled, looking irritated with himself.

“Going on a little moonlight stroll before curfew?” Al teased, stuffing his notes into his bag.

Scorpius frowned at him darkly. “Homework. She's better at Potions than I am, so we do it together to make it quicker.”

“Sheesh. Is there anything she _isn't_ good at?”

“Not that I'm aware of,” Scorpius said airily, rising to his feet.

Al opened his mouth and snapped it shut with a click of teeth. _Is she any good at kissing_ had almost crept out of his mouth. But Scorpius might not appreciate the joke, and it seemed like stepping over a line. “Look, thanks for this. Really. You're a pretty good teacher. I can't believe this stuff is actually starting to make a bit of sense.”

“This isn't charity, Potter,” Scorpius grumbled, looking a little embarrassed at the praise. “If you can't show me a Patronus by Monday, the deal's off. And I'm never doing another favor for you again.”

“I _am_ close,” Al insisted as they walked down the hall.

Scorpius eyed him narrowly. “But?”

“But what?”

“But you don't have it _yet_. Why not? You're supposed to be some kind of whiz at Charms. Why is this so difficult?”

Al sighed. “You'll know when you try it. Besides, this is... different from any other spell I've done before. You have to be able to hold on to a strong good memory. James says if there's anything attached to that memory that clouds it, or if the memory isn't happy or strong enough, it won't work. I imagine trying to hold onto that kind of memory is double hard when there's a Dementor actively sucking all the happiness right out of you.”

Scorpius frowned pensively. “It sounds like an Unforgiving Curse,” he said after a long moment.

Al stopped and stared at him, aghast. “It's the complete opposite!”

“Yes,” Scorpius said slowly. “But also no. Someone who uses the Cruciatus Curse has to _mean_ it. They have to throw a lot of hate into the spell. They have to _want_ to hurt you.” Al shuddered reflexively. “Bad example,” Scorpius amended with a slight wince.

Al shook off the memory of the searing pain the Curse had inflicted on him, considering Scorpius's words. “I guess you have a point. Spells like that take more effort and more... willpower, I guess. But it makes sense, doesn't it? You'd have to have a strong will to stand up to something so evil, just like you'd have to work really hard to...” he trailed off, embarrassed.

“What?” Scorpius arched a disbelieving brow. “Hurt someone?”

“To go against human nature,” Al mumbled.

It was Scorpius's turn to stop in his tracks. He regarded Al with blank incredulity. “What are you on about?”

“I just think...” Al stammered, unsure how to explain. “I think wanting to hurt another person that much isn't natural. You'd never hurt someone like that, would you? I mean, how could anyone stand it? Putting someone through that. Dad once said something about how killing someone tears the soul apart. There are plenty of bad people but... I don't think we're meant to be like that. I don't think anyone starts out like that. Using something like the Cruciatus Curse is probably as close as you can get to tearing your soul apart without actually doing it, and that's why it takes so much effort.” He stopped, red-faced, wishing he hadn't spoken at all.

Scorpius's expression kept shifting, as if he couldn't decide whether he thought Al was barking mad or not. Eventually they resumed walking in uncomfortable silence.

“You think I'm naive,” Al finally blurted when they reached the junction where they would have to split up to go to their separate Houses.

Scorpius wasn't looking at him, his gaze fixed down the hall that would lead towards the Slytherin dungeons. “Yes,” he murmured. He started to walk away, then faltered, his shoulders tensing then slumping in a silent sigh. “But I'm not sure you're wrong, either.”

He hurried off before Al could get past his surprise and come up with a response.

~*~

Al threw himself into Patronus training, going every evening directly after his Transfiguration tutor sessions to get in an hour of practice, regardless of whether or not Vincent and James could join him. Whether it was the lack of tutelage or the desperation, however, he found it impossible to cast the spell.

The stress of it, combined with the difficulty of relearning Transfiguration and still trying to eke out decent homework for his other classes before bed began to wear on him. He was exhausted all the time, and it made him short-tempered. This made it very hard to think of or hold on to a good memory for his Patronus.

On one of the rare occasions Vincent and James were actually able to train with him, Vincent made note of his fraying temper.

“You need to stop being so hard on yourself,” he chided gently. “You're working too hard. Why not put this off? Focus on your schoolwork. We can get more practice done this weekend.”

Al shook his head mutely. He had to have the spell down by Monday, but he couldn't admit this without letting them know Scorpius was tutoring him. Vincent wouldn't approve, but he probably wouldn't try to talk Al out of it. James, however, would be hopping mad that Al was spending any time outside class with a Malfoy.

“What memories are you even trying?” James demanded, looking a little exasperated. He and Al had been snapping at each other for the last half hour. “Whatever they are, they're clearly not strong enough.”

“Or _I'm_ the problem,” Al snarled, shoving his wand in his pocket in defeat. “This spell's too hard for me. Dad was right, it's too advanced for someone my age.”

“You're the one who kept pointing out how Dad did this spell his third year.”

“Well I'm not Dad!” Al shouted.

There was a tense silence that lasted for far too long. Al was actually on the verge of spinning around and marching off to bed when Vincent put a hand on James's shoulder and said softly, “Why don't you go sneak us some snacks from the kitchen before curfew? We're running low on chocolate.”

James shook his head in disgust and left without a word.

Al sank down onto the ground, resting his back against the wall and glaring at the Dementor target dummy. “I can't do this. It was dumb to think I could.”

“Stop it,” Vincent said so sharply Al looked up at him in surprise. Vincent had never used such a tone with him before. “This is a really difficult spell. And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm barely getting any results either.” He slid down the wall to sit next to Al, clasping his hands between his knees. “You need to just relax. You'll get this. I know you will. Stop beating yourself up and just be patient.”

Al didn't respond, still not trusting his temper.

“What memories _are_ you using, out of curiosity?”

Al shrugged one shoulder, staring at the floor. “I've tried a few. Winning that Quidditch match my second year. Getting across the finish line after beating the Golem in the Marathon. Lily coming to Hogwarts. Stuff like that.”

Vincent made a thoughtful humming noise in his throat. “Aren't those memories kind of tainted, though?”

“What?”

“Well...” Vincent ticked each memory off on his fingers. “Quidditch was always a source of dread for you. The Marathon kind of backfired for you personally because you used the Last Chance and turned Gryffindor against you. And I know you were upset about Lily getting Sorted into Slytherin.” He dropped his hand. “Those memories started out good, but looking back, don't you automatically think of the bad things that happened right afterwards? Maybe it's too hard for you to separate the good from the bad with memories like that.”

Al frowned. “I guess,” he admitted reluctantly. “But I try really hard not to think about the bad stuff when we're in here. I just try to focus on the good parts.”

“Still...” Vincent shrugged one shoulder. “I think you need a happier memory. One that isn't followed up by or surrounded by something unhappy.”

Al sighed, pushing his hand through his hair a few times as if to shake loose a better memory. But he felt too stressed to focus, especially with the older boy sitting so close. “This is impossible. Maybe I need to think further back, to when I was younger? I dunno. Like maybe I had a really good sixth birthday.”

Vincent laughed quietly. “Or maybe you should go _make_ a good memory.”

Al glanced at him, and a strange silence fell. The longer the silence lasted, the odder he felt. Vincent's smile had slipped off his face, and they were staring at each other a little awkwardly.

Abruptly Vincent gave a cough and got to his feet a little too fast. “You know. Go hang out with your friends in Hogsmeade. Tell you sister her favorite joke. Something like that.”

Al nodded, face averted, knowing he was probably red as a tomato. _That was your chance, and you blew it,_ he chided himself wretchedly. If ever there was an opening to admit how he felt, that had been it. Now it was too late.

Or maybe it wasn't.

He took in a deep shuddering breath, his heart hammering against his ribcage. “Um,” he squeaked.

But just then the door opened and James strolled in, arms loaded with snacks. “All right, stuff your faces. Let's try this again from the top.”

But Al's nerve deserted him. There was no way he'd be able to focus now. “I have too much homework,” he muttered, climbing to his feet and dusting off his robes. “And I'm not in the right mindset for this tonight. I'll try again tomorrow.”

James sighed a little impatiently, but didn't argue. “Fine. If you see Fred, tell him to just leave my Potions book on my bed when he's done with it.”

Al nodded without looking at either of them and hurried from the Room of Requirement.

Why was this so hard for him? Why was it so hard to focus on some happy memory? He chewed on the problem the whole way to Gryffindor Tower. Maybe he should try to think of something smaller. Some fleeting moment of happiness. But would that be strong enough? Maybe not, but it was worth a shot. When was the last time he'd laughed and been at ease? Next time he practiced he would...

He stopped in the middle of the hallway, frowning. He could think of several instances where he'd been happy and relaxed. They probably weren't strong enough... but maybe the things he associated with them would be? These flashes of memories centered mostly around his friends and family.

Impulsively he pulled out his wand, glancing around belatedly to make sure no one else was in the corridor. But it was late, and everyone was in their Common Room. For now he only had to fear a Professor or Prefect randomly patrolling the halls.

Al lifted his wand and concentrated. “ _Expecto Patronum_.”

The way Felicia's face lit up and she bounced excitedly in her seat when they were learning a new spell.

Lily practically dragging him to Ollivander's, eager to get her first wand.

Dustin's soft private smile when he saw Felicia playing with the miniature Carnival figurine.

Andrew laughing too hard and accidentally spurting pumpkin juice through his nose at dinner.

Hanging out with Vincent in his room, talking about everything and nothing all summer.

His parents' crushing embrace when he'd first boarded the train to Hogwarts.

James pulling Lily around on her practice broom, mimicking the sounds of a crowd.

Helping Vincent pick out his owl.

Mrs. Malfoy's kind smile and the way she fondly laughed about her son's terrible hat.

Scorpius scribbling notes in class, arguing grammar, and then hurling the paper at his head and making him laugh.

These last two slipped in, unexpected, but he let them mesh with the others and said more firmly, “ _Expecto Patronum_!”

Something white, a wisp of a spell, a shifting cloud, soared out of the tip of his wand.

He gasped, nearly dropping the wand, and the halfhearted spell evaporated. Al stood very still, heart thundering with surprised glee.

He'd done it.

Or nearly. He raised his wand again, hand shaking, but footsteps shook him quickly out of his daze. He slipped his wand hastily inside his robes just as a tall girl came around the corner. She spotted him and came to a stop, frowning. A silver Prefect badge glinted on her robes. “What are you doing out and about?” she demanded. “It's almost curfew!”

“I was heading back,” Al said quickly, skirting around her and hurrying off down the hall.

“See that you do!” she shouted at his back.

Al barely heard her, a wide grin stretching his mouth as he bounded up the steps to the Tower. He had the trick of it now. He was confident at last that this was a spell he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *wanders in late with starbucks and slides chapter sheepishly under your door*  
> UHHHH so yeah it's a bit short but better than nothing i guess???  
> I figured out something I wanted to add to the story awhile back and got hyped about it but then had to spend forever picking everything apart trying to figure out how to fit it in and still make it work.


	7. Confessions

“My dad's practically a hermit these days.”

Al looked up quickly, startled and confused by the unprompted admittance. He'd been intently going over a practice problem Scorpius had given him, and had been so caught up in it he'd almost forgotten anyone else was there. Glancing around, he realized he'd been half right. It was getting late, and no one but the two of them remained in the library, save for the Librarian herself, who seemed content to ignore them so long as they were quiet. It took his brain another second to fully process what Scorpius had said, though he still couldn't figure out what had even brought up the subject. “What?”

Scorpius wasn't looking at him. He was staring down at his notebook with unfocused eyes, picking at a small tear at the corner of the page. He grimaced slightly, as if he regretted having spoken.

Al put aside his quill and gave the other boy his full attention. He studied his face, remembering how tense and tired he'd looked their first day in Potions at the beginning of the school year. He wasn't sure what had goaded Scorpius into opening up, but whatever it was about, it must really be bothering him to broach the subject with Al of all people. “Your dad looked kind of rough the last couple times I saw him,” he said quietly. “And you told the Headmaster he lost his wand in some kind of... disagreement. Is he all right?”

Scorpius took in a long breath and then blew it out, still refusing to lift his gaze. “I don't know,” he admitted. “He won't tell me anything. But he barely left the house the last couple weeks before school started. And from some of the stuff Mom said in her letters, I think he's still taking a lot of sick leave.”

Al frowned. “I hadn't heard anything about trouble at the Ministry from my folks. What's he hiding from?” He held up his hands hastily when Scorpius shot him a swift glare, feeling foolish. “Sorry. Poor choice of words.”

“...But not wrong,” Scorpius grumbled after a moment, lowering his frustrated glare to his notebook once more. “ _Something's_ making him uptight. I know it has something to do with some arguments going on between Pureblood families, but my parents try not to talk about it in front of me. I don't know what the reasons are, but I'm starting to get a better idea after that mess with the Dementors and that weird... cult or club or whatever in the dungeons.” He shook his head as if annoyed with himself. “I don't know why I'm even talking about this with you,” he grumbled.

“I want to know what's going on as much as you do,” Al assured him. “You think I don't worry it'll affect my dad? He's an Auror. He's the one who's going to be tracking down these Dementors and all these rumors about Deatheaters. Someone in this school used an Unforgivable Curse. And all I can think about half the time is what if someone uses that on Lily or James or Felicia?” He shuddered at the memory of pain. “Or you,” he added. “Dad doesn't seem to think Slytherin's going to be safe for you if this keeps up.”

“Why?” Scorpius looked up quickly. “Does he know what's gotten my dad so wound up?”

Al shook his head. “He said he'd talk to him, but if he ever got any answers, he never clued me in. I'd tell you if I knew.” He leaned back in his chair with a frustrated sigh. “He doesn't want me sticking my nose in. Figures if I'm here, I'm safe. But last year kind of proved that wrong. I hate not knowing what's happening. Especially when it's still affecting me. I want to be ready in case something _else_ happens.”

A new voice interjected. “All of us do.”

Both boys jumped, spilling paper and ink everywhere. Twisting in his chair, Al gaped at the boy stepping out from a book aisle, arms loaded with scrolls and books.

“Vincent? What are you-- How long--”

The older boy frowned at each of them, then flicked a glance towards the suspicious Librarian and came over, setting his books down on the table. He eased into the seat next to Al, his distrusting eyes locked on Scorpius. “So this is where you keep disappearing to in the evenings. I thought maybe you were studying; I know you've been having some trouble in some classes. But what is _he_ doing here?”

“Don't start,” Al said firmly. The last thing he needed was the two of them to get their hackles up at each other. “I need help in Transfiguration and Scorpius is the only one I know who's good at it. Don't tell James, I don't need to hear him fuss at me about it, okay?”

“Spying on us?” Scorpius sneered, though his entire frame was tense.

Vincent's frown deepened. “Some of us have O.W.L.s to worry about. James is off in some dark corner with his girlfriend, so I figured I'd get some extra study time in. Imagine my surprise when I find you two in here, thick as thieves.”

Al reached out quickly and seized Scorpius's sleeve when the boy started to rise abruptly to his feet. “Don't leave,” he pleaded. For the first time he could remember, he just wanted Vincent to go away. Getting Scorpius to open up and have a conversation with him about something other than schoolwork was rare. On top of that, his feelings from the prior evening's Patronus practice still left him feeling jumpy and bashful around Vincent, and he wasn't sure he could handle being alone in a dimly-lit library with him right now. What if he said something stupid and ruined everything? Scorpius glared openly at Al, trying to tug his arm free.

Vincent's eyes ticked from one boy to the other, his frown still in place but less severe. He crossed his arms over his chest slowly and settled back in his chair. “I didn't overhear much,” he said slowly. “Just the last bits. About something being wrong out there, and how it's not so safe behind these walls anymore. Even if all the grown-ups like to think it is.” His gaze flickered down to the book on top of his stack, a history book. “I'm with you, Al, I want to be prepared. And there's got to be a way for us to be ready even if no one will tell us everything. Your dad once had similar ideas, if I recall.”

Al looked at him in surprise, and Scorpius finally stopped trying to pull away from his grip. “You're... talking about Dumbledore's Army.”

Vincent nodded. “James is teaching us the Patronus Charm, and that's a good start. But I think we need to do more.” He shrugged abruptly, looking frustrated. “But damned if I know what. Your dad and them... they knew what they were up against. They knew how to prepare. They could gather enough people to have _some_ line of defense. But...”

“But we don't even know who to trust,” Al finished quietly. “That other passage in the dungeon led _away_ from Slytherin. Anyone could have used it. And no one there was wearing any badges or ties, and they had on masks. For all we know...” He hesitated.

“A Gryffindor Prefect could've been standing down there and we wouldn't know,” Scorpius finished a touch maliciously.

James wouldn't have taken kindly to the implication, but Vincent just gave a dejected nod.

Al spread his hands in a helpless gesture. “Even if we wanted to try and spread awareness or whatever, who do we tell? What if we try to warn some Ravenclaw and it turns out they already know more about it than we do? What if they run and tell all their Dementor-loving friends? Or deal with the messenger right then and there? We don't know how far these people will go.”

“We have a good idea,” Scorpius said grimly, glancing briefly at Al as he finally took a seat again. But Al refused to elaborate. He still didn't want word of that incident at the lake getting back to James. Luckily, Vincent seemed to assume they meant the Dementor, and nodded thoughtfully.

“The only people I _know_ are safe are our group of friends,” Al continued. “And Scorpius, obviously. That's not many people, and most of us are in Gryffindor. So most of the students are mostly still in the dark. All they know is there was a Dementor. Everything else has been hushed up.”

“Dumbledore's Army wasn't huge,” Vincent pointed out. “As much as I'd like the whole student body warned, it's just not feasible. But better _some_ ready than none. Besides,” he began ticking off names rapidly on his fingers, “there's me, you, James, Roxie, Fred, Lily, and Scorpius.” He tripped over Scorpius's name slightly, as if he had to force himself to include the boy. “All of us are, if I do say so myself, not bad at offensive and defensive spells.”

“I told Felicia, too,” Al said with only a little guilt. “Well I couldn't exactly tell Andrew,” he hurried on when Vincent arched a brow. “He'd just want to pick a fight with Evaine. And Dustin, well...” He shrugged. “He's not exactly hot-headed, but I haven't known him quite as long. Plus his spells are only kind of average.”

“So are Felicia's,” Vincent said, not unkindly.

“I know. But she's level-headed and can keep a secret. And I won't let her go stumbling into trouble because she doesn't know what to look for.”

“Are you _sure_ you two aren't dating?” Scorpius drawled.

Al shot him a dirty look. “I don't want to hear dating advice from someone snogging someone who's rumored to be related to a Death Eater spy, all right?”

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. “I told you, that's just baseless rumors,” he snapped. “It's none of your business who I date.”

“It's none of _yours_ whether I'm dating anyone or not, either,” Al snapped right back, feeling his ears burn. Dating was the last thing he wanted to discuss in front of Vincent.

Scorpius took on a mock pitying tone. “Potter, trust me, no one would date a basketcase like you. Besides, you're a Potter; you attract trouble. No one should have to deal with that.”

“Any girl would be lucky to have Al,” Vincent said, looking like he was trying hard to hide an amused smile at the argument.

“I said no _one_ ,” Scorpius spat, turning his glare on Vincent a little too pointedly.

Al felt ready to combust. For a second the air froze in his lungs. Merlin's beard, was he that obvious? He had to be. First Felicia and Rose, and now Scorpius all seemed to have guessed about his pathetic crush. That could only mean Vincent really _had_ figured it out. He stared at Scorpius, unable to risk looking at Vincent.

Vincent's smile slipped, then he waved a hand through the air dismissively, though his airy tone sounded a little forced. “Yeah, I heard you. Cut it out, you two. Honestly, I think you're both a bit young for dating anyway, so you both just sound ridiculous.”

Al almost flinched. He coughed to hide it, feeling his stomach twist unpleasantly. If that was Vincent's idea of a subtle way of indicating he still saw Al as a kid, he needed some pointers in tact. Al had the sudden desperate urge to crawl into his dormitory bed, bury himself under the covers, and stay there until everyone forgot what he looked like or what his name was. “It's late,” he said, and was immensely proud of how normal he nearly sounded. “Scorpius, as usual, is being a prat, so I'm going to bed. Good luck with your studies, Vincent.” He collected his things, trying to radiate only mild annoyance instead of deep raw humiliation, and strode from the library with his head high.

He spent the whole walk of shame back to Gryffindor Tower wishing he had his sister's invisibility cloak to hide under.

~*~

Al and Scorpius ignored each other coldly in Potions the next day, and it was perhaps a good thing that Zabini sprang a pop quiz on the class, because Al was sure he would have mucked up any potion he'd tried to make.

Having a tiff with Scorpius was normal, but Al had no idea how to act around Vincent now. Luckily he didn't have to worry about it for much of the day, because during meals Vincent sat with James and the Weasley siblings. So despite his internal humiliation and anger, Al was able to pretend like everything was normal. He briefly considered talking to Felicia about Scorpius and his big fat blabbing mouth and Vincent's awkward reaction to it, but he didn't think he couldn't handle talking about it yet without feeling stupid and whiny.

_If I just keep acting normal for a few days, Vincent will keep acting normal, and this will all blow over and we'll never speak of it again,_ he told himself firmly.

But during dinner James tossed a roll down the table to get his brother's attention and ruined everything. “Hey, pipsqueak, practice tonight. And _don't_ be late. This is the last one we'll have for awhile, I've got Quidditch practice almost all next week, and Vincent's got studying to do for his O.W.L.s. Seven o'clock, got it?”

Al opened his mouth to argue, but James had already turned his attention back to whatever Roxie was talking about. Al bit his lip, choking back a protest. What could he possibly say that wouldn't sound lame to James or like a pathetic excuse to Vincent, who would know exactly why he wanted to skip practice?

_Act normal_ , he reminded himself fiercely. Nothing would reassure Vincent that things were still chill between them as much as him just casually showing up for Patronus practice as if nothing had happened.

But his food had lost all flavor, and he wasn't sure he could keep his expression casual just yet. He needed to gather his thoughts and prepare himself. “I'm stuffed,” he told Felicia. “I'm going to bring some ham up to Trinity and check over my Potions notes real quick.” He got up and walked out as sedately as he was able, and was relieved when he was alone in the halls. He slowed his pace, taking his time. There were sure to be other Gryffindors in the common room, and he just wanted a few minutes alone to figure out how he was going to make it through an hour of practice without blushing in front of Vincent or getting into a row with James because he would be too distracted and upset to focus and wouldn't be able to explain why.

He was so deep in his own unhappy thoughts that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching from behind, and jumped a mile when a hand landed on his shoulder.

“Al, wait.”

No. No no nono, this was  _not_ happening. He turned stiffly, praying his face was mildly inquisitive and not white with panic.

Vincent was frowning down at him, eyes concerned. “Look, I wanted to talk to you. And... apologize, I guess. I kind of treated you and Scorpius like kids last night there at the end.” He blew out a heavy sigh. “You're only a year younger than me and James, I know that. I wasn't trying to.. belittle you or anything. I guess I was just... trying to settle things down before you and Malfoy started jinxing each other or something. I didn't even know Malfoy was dating anyone, so the whole argument was kind of confusing, to be honest.”

Al blinked, unable to think of a response. A wild hope jerked in his chest. Could Vincent have completely missed what Scorpius had been implying? Another crazy thought struck him. Had he himself misread the whole thing? He could have been jumping to conclusions. Scorpius could have meant nothing by his snide comment. Was he the only one who'd made a connection out of what might have been nothing at all?

He felt incredibly stupid.

“It's fine,” he said quickly. He added before he could stop himself, “I know I'm just James's kid brother to you most of the time. I kind of assumed you saw me as a kid.”

“You're not. I mean-- You are. I am too, I guess? Look.” Vincent held up his hands as if frustrated. “That's not the point. You're not a little kid. I guess sometimes I just... forgot that. But I know you're not. Hanging out with you during the summer kind of made me realize that. You're right, I guess I did kinda just see you as my best friend's little brother. I've been kind of... adjusting to you being more than that. That's kind of shallow, I know. I'm sorry.” He offered a ghost of his normal infectious smile. “You're Al. You're you. We're friends.” The smile wavered. “But...”

Al tensed. “But?”

Vincent glanced around, then steered him towards a far corner near a staircase that had already moved, so they couldn't be interrupted on accident. “Okay. Okay.” Vincent shifted his weight uneasily, clasping and unclasping his hands and looking anywhere but at Al. “Sorry, I just... Haven't told anyone this, yet.” He took a deep breath. “There's... someone I like.”

Merlin himself could have appeared out of thin air and offered Al a hundred galleons to name whatever emotion struck him just then, and he'd have been unable to do so. His mind was veering in three directions at once when Vincent clarified after a moment's hesitation, “I don't think this person likes me back. So I... don't talk about it. And I don't do anything about it. Maybe I never will, I don't know.” He finally forced himself to look at Al. “But... I think maybe someone else likes me and I was just too dumb to notice because I was busy uh. Well, paying attention to someone that doesn't think of me that way.”

“I really don't want to ask, but I think I really need you to be specific,” Al croaked, wishing he hadn't the second the words were out of his mouth.

“Okay. Blunt. I can do that. I think.” Vincent glanced away, then looked back at Al again as if he had to remind himself to do that. “Do you like me? I mean like... as more than a friend?”

Couldn't get any blunter than that. Al could physically feel his face turning red. “Um-”

“I mean, if you don't, I'm sorry,” Vincent said hastily, also looking embarrassed. “I just, uh... Got a feeling. But I was still kinda thinking of you as James's little brother, you know, uh... My little buddy who was terrified of playing Quidditch and is definitely unquestionably off-limits.”

“I think this is one of those conversations that ruins friendships,” Al said in an unsteady voice.

“Not if the answer's yes,” Vincent said quietly.

Al stared at him, heart thudding in his ears and his insides feeling like jelly. “I thought you said I was off-limits.”

“Well... Wait, is that a yes?”

James's shout caused them both to jump like startled cats. “Vincent! Where'd you get to-- Oh, there you are.”

Al had not realized how close Vincent was until the other boy took two quick steps back before turning to offer a casual wave as James came striding over.

“Oh, you're both here.” James glanced towards Al, but seemed uninterested in whatever they'd been discussing. “Good, let's just start practice early. That way I can meet up with Emma afterwards.”

Al nodded silently, still unable to speak. He felt like he'd just downed a whole gallon of butterbeer. He felt silly and warm and happy and a little confused. He fell in step beside Vincent as James led the way to the Room of Requirement, allowing his brother to prattle on about tips on concentration and conjuration. Vincent also remained silent, though he sent Al a small secret smile behind James's back.

So it was only James who was shocked when a big puff of white fog erupted briefly from Al's wand ten minutes into practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs evilly into hand and floats off into the pit she was hiding in*


End file.
